Fruit Flies
by Celeste.J.Evans
Summary: Castle and Beckett have some fruity fun this summer...
1. Apple

**Hey guys! I appear with yet another Castle Fanfiction for you. Basically, I am trying to get back into my writer groove which seems to have disappeared over the last few months. I figure if I cram writing down my own throat, I'll get better. Here's hoping. **

**This particular story is actually a series of daily one shots based on different fruits. You'll quickly discover that these are what are known - by some - as 'Alphabet Drabbles'. Everyday I write a fruit-based drabble and it will be based on a letter of the alphabet. Today will be 'A' and tomorrow will be 'B' and so on and so forth until July 27th at which point, this will end. They will be very short but usually cute and most likely basedon Caskett as they are one of my favorite relationships of all time. I can't explain how but I have found a fruit for every single letter of the alphabet - and I didn't go into the latin terms so be excited to see how I do Q and X and Z. WIsh me luck!**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Apples<strong>: They were being so domestic about everything. They had gotten into this daily morning routine of getting up together – usually involving some form of kissing – dressing each other – also involving some form of kissing – and then making breakfast together – rarely involving some form of kissing for the sake of the other people living in the loft. They had only been living together for a few months but it just felt so natural to be bustling around the kitchen in the mornings. It was routine; it was natural.

It was boring.

Don't get her wrong, Kate _loved_ routine. It made her feel safe and secure but honestly… she needed a little bit of spontaneity back in her life.

She glanced at Castle and smiled mysteriously at his backside as he flipped the pancakes – as usual. Placing her hands behind her back, she tiptoed over to him with a seductive smile on her face.

"Oh Ricky," She whispered in his ear. She decided he would have jumped in surprise if she wasn't breathing down his neck. She knew how sensitive his shoulders and neck were and the heat from her mouth would have been enough to cause shivers down his spin.

"Mhm?" She saw him gulp; nearly missing the pancake he had flipped.

"I bet I can make you scream 'Apples' right now." There was the shiver she was looking for.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She took a few steps back, doubting that he even noticed and bit her lip. "Hey Rick," he turned to look at her "catch." She pulled her hands out to reveal a shiny red apple and tossed it at him. Without really thinking, he reached out and caught the apple in his hands.

"Ah, Apples." He half-screamed as he secured the apple in his palms.

It took him a moment to register what had just happened. Offering her a mock glare, he tossed the apple back at her muttering 'tease' under his breath as he returned to his partially burnt pancakes. She smiled.

Yup, sometimes a little spontaneity is just what you need to brighten your morning.


	2. Banana

**Sorry about that guys, I posted chapter one twice instead of uploading this.**

**Starting Monday, my summer filled with activity starts so I'm going to try and fit this into my schedule. I'm an artist who likes structure... what is wrong with me? Anyways,**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Banana<strong>: "Have you ever thought about how awesome bananas are?" Beckett looked up from her paperwork to stare at her partner in confusion.

"What?"

"I mean think about it. They are both very dirty and very good for you." Ignoring his laps in grammar to focus what he was saying, shook her head and returned to her piles of homework.

"Kind of like you?" They both froze as the words slipped out of her subconscious. She closed her eyes, cursing her brain as his grin grew into a smirk.

"Really now?" Taking a moment to stick her foot in her mouth, she looked over at him.

"Yeah; you are very dirty – I mean when was the last time you showered?" She waved her hand in front of her and made a face as though she were smelling something awful. He made a mock-annoyed expression but let her continue as her face softened and she conceded a smile. "And… you are pretty good for me. I would almost say that I enjoy having you around." He smiled kindly at her before he suddenly did a fist pump and rose from his chair.

"Ha! You all heard her. She said she _liked_ having me around." The blush on her face was too bright to be called a blush. Her face was bright red as she buried her face in her desk.

She didn't, however, miss the exchange of money between several officers on the floor.

She would get her revenge on them all. If it was the last thing she did.


	3. Cherry

**This is another short one but I'm glad that you guys are liking these. Writing everyday will hopefully help me with my writing. I'm currently listening to Aqua so you'll have to forgive me if this seems a little.. weird. Back to writing my other stories...**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Cherries:<strong> "I know your secret." His voice so close to her ear startled her awake and she immediately shot up from her couch where she had fallen asleep watching a movie with Rick. He had come over to discuss the case but when no headway was being made, they had settled on watching some black and white movie. The classics were always safe.

"Huh? What?" She stared at him through bleary eyes, waiting for him to explain. He leaned against the back of the couch, just to her right so that his lips were millimeters from her ear.

"Why you always smell like cherries." _Oh crap,_ she thought, her eyes widening_ he's found my cabinet of body washes_. She had liked to experiment with different body washes until her partner had so seductively pointed out – not in so many words – that he was fond of the scent of cherries. Since then, she always made sure her bathroom was stocked full of cherry-scented body wash. She hadn't expected him to go through her cabinet while she slept. Oh who was she kidding? This was Richard Castle; of course he would snoop through her things. She just needed to think of a way out of this mess.

"Uh…"

"You have like a whole drawer of them in your fridge. I didn't even know they were in season. I mean you have two kinds of food that aren't delivered in a cardboard container by a guy named Julio and it's pickles and cherries? You are so weird." It took her a moment to process the fact that he had only been snooping through her kitchen and not her bathroom. It was still embarrassing but significantly less so.

"Oh and I found your cupboard of cherry-scented body wash. Your bathroom smells heavenly by the way."


	4. Date

**Technically I am not late. In my city, it's ten minutes to midnight so there. I'm not ecstatic about this chapter but it's done and it fits so live with it. I'm feeling sort of funky about some of the things I'm doing that is making me busy. I can't back out of them but I'm just not excited about doing them anymore. Oh well. I will do my best. In regards to my other stories, I am feeling a little blocked with Moving Day so that may be awhile. Glass Slipper should be up in the next few days but we need to talk about that; IDoM is fine and Turnabout... I wish you guys would read Turnabout with a fresh perspective. Forget the whole first chapter and start again. Please? Anyways...**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Date:<strong> It was so odd and yet it felt so natural. Castle and Beckett shopping for groceries. They weren't married nor were they engaged. They were just two friends who both happened to be out of groceries at the same time – that might have been because they pretty much did everything together nowadays including eat. So they had decided to share a car and do their grocery shopping together. They would both end up eating it anyways since they took turns cooking for each other so why not pick out what they would be eating together?

"Raisin?" She scrunched her face as he offered her a container of dried fruit. "No." He muttered, tossing the fruit back on the shelf.

"Prune?" She looked at him innocently, vaguely pointing to the container of dried plums. He offered her a teasingly open-mouthed gape.

"What did you just call me?" Just for that, she put it in his cart and was down the next isle before he caught up with her.

Half an hour later, they were paying for their groceries, Castle waiting for Beckett to finish paying. While he watched her, he figured he would get some teasing in. Reaching in one of his plastic bags he waited until she wasn't really paying attention.

"Would you like a date, detective?" Beckett really wasn't paying attention.

"Pick me up at seven?" Then she suddenly was paying attention; painful, awkward attention. "I mean-"

"Oh you…" Then it dawned on him. "You said yes to a date with me?" To say he was stunned was a bit of an understatement.

She left her mouth open – a way of slapping herself for even speaking – but put on that adorable innocent face that fooled no one, least of all her best friend. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She thanked the grocer and walked straight passed him with her bags tight at her sides.

"Oh yes you do know what I'm talking." But she was half way to the car. "Katherine Beckett you stop walking right now." She eventually slowed to a stop, closed her eyes and faced the music – annoyed.

"What, Castle?" He caught up to her and was literally looming over her.

"Can I still pick you up at seven?"

"That depends;" She almost smirked "are you going to take me somewhere nice?"

"Oh honey, I'll take you anywhere you want."

"_Honey_." She suddenly collapsed a little in her shoulders, looking exasperatedly at him. "I knew I had forgotten something."


	5. Elderberry

**This one came out of nowhere. I honestly don't know who wrote this but it's...interesting. I would love to hear people's thoughts in your reviews because you'll review because you love me. **

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Elderberry<strong>: Beckett and Castle stood side by side as they watched a witness leave the conference room with Ryan and Esposito behind them – a girl no older than twelve who had witnessed a mugging gone wrong. In some ways Castle thought that she looked like Beckett – longer, chestnut brown hair, a cute little button nose – and Beckett thought that she looked like Castle – sparkling but somehow clouded emerald eyes and the hint of a smile on her lips knowing that even through all the morbidity of death, there was hope; the killer would be caught and brought to justice because of what she saw.

Ryan and Esposito had spent the entire interview trying to figure out who she looked like. Even as their parents ushered her out of the precinct and they boys caught site of Beckett and Castle standing together, they still couldn't figure it out.

Shrugging, they left for their respective desks, destined to mull over it once they got home only to realize the answer at the most inconvenient of times during the night. They were looking forward to it.

Beckett and Castle, meanwhile, were smiling, reminiscing on their childhood and imagining what life would have been like had they met as children. Castle imagined Beckett as the type of six year old who had a list of rules for every make believe game and beating up the playground bullies for picking on her friends. Beckett kept getting images or big and little Castle confused. Their personalities were just so similar.

"You know when I was younger I didn't have to think about this kind of stuff." He commented as neither of them had moved from their position against the back of a random desk. He briefly wondered why no one was ever at their desk when he was looking for a desk to lean against. "I was just lost in the elderberry bush." That brought some movement out of Beckett. She physically took a moment to blink before she moved to face him directly.

"'_Lost in the elderberry bush_'?" She sat up, rolling her eyes exasperatedly. "Are we stuck in a Charles Dickens' novel again?" She moved towards her desk to hide the smile that graced her lips at his goofy but somewhat sensible analogy of youth.

"Elderberries;" he followed her "you know a fruit that-"

"I know what an elderberry is, Castle. I'm just curious as to why you would say something like that." She sat at her computer but realized that she was done for the day so went about her –almost – nightly routine of packing up her desk. Castle chose to sit in his chair and watch.

"Oh my dear detective, I say a lot of things that only make sense to me. I also _do_ about twice as many as I say."

"Like follow me around." She muttered, shutting her lamp off. She stood and was just passing the break room when she realized that Castle wasn't at her heels. Finding this odd, she turned to find him staring at her from his chair with a hurt expression.

"You still don't get it do you?"

"Get what?" She shrugged, not in the mood for guessing games. Castle slowly rose, strode towards her and planted a kiss on her cheek before she could even process that he had moved.

"I follow you around because you lead me out of the elderberry bush." With a sweet smile on his face, he walked away without a single word to her.


	6. Fruit Cup

**Hey guys, I am so sorry that this one isn't too great. I am so tired today it's kind of ridiculous. I have been out the door at 6:30 every morning and I don't get home until 6 at the earliest and I'm doing rehearsals until the end of July like this and then in August it pretty much starts again. Ugh. Three days in and I'm already exhausted. I'm the lead but still... anyways. Sorry about this. I'm going to bed. **

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Fruit Cup<strong>: He hated seeing her like this. She was just lying in that hospital bed, recovering from a minor gunshot wound staring at the mixed fruit cup she had received with her "dinner". He could never figure out why hospitals couldn't manage to produce decent food. Wasn't it their job to _protect_ people from illness? He was so lost in his world of concern that he was startled to hear her speak.

"I'm like a fruit cup." She pouted, causing his heart to break despite his confusion.

"What?"

"I'm a fruit cup; the thing you get when they're all out of the chocolate pudding. I'm the leftovers." He was beyond shocked to hear her beat herself down and so decided to just go with his gut.

"Hey now," he sat down on the bed in front of her and held her hand "I will have you know that I- lots of people like fruit cups." Okay so maybe not _all_ of his gut. "Chocolate pudding is bad for you, it's so predictable and you eventually get sick of it. Fruit cups? They are awesome. They keep your guessing, they're colorful and most of all, you are so good for me." She didn't even register his words until a minute later when he was still looking into her eyes and she suddenly didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

"You're not so bad yourself Castle." She smiled and saw him return it a moment later. Not before his eyes grew comically wide of course.

"Uh yeah." They squeezed hands simultaneously and almost jumped at the spark.

But this time, they didn't let go.


	7. Grape

**This one is... I don't even know what this one is. I didn't think such a common fruit would be this hard. I was literally just winging it. Is it obvious? Anyways, I know I promised to update this week but I am just so tired. I have only been home for two hours and I am about to collapse from heat exhaustion. Wish me luck for the next three weeks after this of the same thing.**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle**

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><p><strong>Grape<strong>: It was just a normal day at the precinct for the dynamic dup and their friends Ryan and Esposito. In fact, it was so normal, it was boring. No bodies had dropped and all of their paperwork was done by noon. According to the Captain, if no bodies dropped by the time their lunch was over, they could all go home – on-call though. During their break, Castle and Beckett retired to the room specifically designed for breaks and proceeded to eat their lunch on the couch.

Castle brought out a container of grapes and offered one to his partner in a friendly gesture.

"Pass it." She held out her hand with the intention of catching the grape and eating it but Castle had other ideas.

"Nuh uh," he held the grape out "open your mouth." She opened her mouth slightly before closing it and rolling her eyes.

"Oh I get it." Feeling in the teasing sort of mood, she decided to play along. Slowly leaning forward, she opened her mouth ever so slightly, letting her tongue graze her bottom teeth as she took a long, shallow breath. Rick was so focused on watching her that he had forgotten he was holding a grape until her lips were around it sucking it between her teeth, her gaze never leaving his fingers. Swallowing the smaller grape without swallowing, she raised an eyebrow.

"Is that what you wanted?"

The deer-in-the headlights look remained for a moment before the stunned silence was broken with a breathy laugh and a smile. "No but I like that even better. I was just going to see if you could catch it in your mouth but-"

"Oh" she blushed a beautiful deep red and blinked away that embarrassed, stunned feeling "well toss me one then."

Esposito and Ryan decided to return from their lunch break and noticed their friends talking in the break room so stood at the doorway to listen in though they could only see their heads and nothing else.

"I want you to do that again."

"Just give it to me, Castle."

"No, I want you to do that thing with your tongue again."

"Alright one more time and then we're doing it my way alright?"

"Technically the tongue _is_ your way."

"Just shut up so I can get back to my lunch."

"Alright." They saw Beckett lower her head below their line of sight and they saw Castle's eyes follow her with a raised eyebrow. "So hot." They heard him mutter as she straightened a moment later, swallowing something.

They ran back to their desks after that. And thus the rule was established: you see Beckett and Castle in the break room, you DO NOT listen in; lest your ears be cut off and your eyes be gouged out.


	8. Huckleberry

**Well I'm glad everyone liked the last one. I'm not going to say anything about 'H'. I want to see what people say.**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. I also don't own Abraço - that's some coffee shop in New York. Just go with it. **

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><p><strong>Huckleberry<strong>: Tuesday morning was cold for a summer day but it didn't deter Beckett from calling her partner out of bed at four o'clock in the morning and dragging him down to Central Park. It seemed to be a pretty open and shut case. The victim appeared to have OD'd on whatever was in the needle still sticking out of his arm so there really was no need to stay at the scene. So Castle and Beckett headed in the direction of the nearest breakfast shop to feed the early risers while Esposito and Ryan returned to the station to begin filling out paperwork.

As they stood in line at the bakery, Castle looked at the menu and suddenly smiled.

"Hey they have huckleberry muffins." He offered his partner a fascinated look which was met with an eye roll.

"So?"

"So; no one ever has huckleberry anything. This is officially my favorite place."

"Better than _Abraço's_?" He froze at her words. So she had figured it out.

"Who's Abraço?"

"Well if it means that little to you then-"

"Alright." He held his hands up, hoping his raised voice hadn't alerted anyone around them; he lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "No, I could never like any place better than _Abraço_ for my coffee and pastry needs; ever." They were quiet for a moment, straight almost solemn faces, before her's broken into a sweet, sentimental smile.

"Good, because I would never accept coffee and a bearclaw from anywhere else." _Or anyone else_. Although she would keep that last part to herself. He looked at her thoughtfully as though he knew exactly what was thinking.

"Maybe huckleberry muffins aren't the best thing in the world. I like our place better."

"Me too."


	9. Ice Cream Beans

**This one is...meh... **

**But in other news, I don't know how many of you are reading _Dash Away_ by chezchuckles - if you aren't, you should be - but today while I was on the bus, I saw this child who was the spitting image of Dash - bad attitude and all - and his mom was this gorgeous brunette who looked like a frazzled Kate. He was even playing with his sun glasses. It was so cute. **

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Ice Cream Bean<strong>: "Care for a drink, Detective?" He removed her coat and hung it on the hook as she slipped out of her shoes and entered the apartment, plopping down on the couch like she owned the place.

"What do you have, Writer?" She slung her arm over the couch as he entered the kitchen.

"Well we've got orange juice, apple juice, milk, water or scotch." He leaned his palms against the counter to smirk at her.

"That's an odd combination. Where's the good stuff?" He shrugged.

"I'm afraid if you want anything from my liquor cabinet, you'll have to talk to my mother. I was working with you on the Fourth of July and thus could not protect my babies from being stolen by my mother's friends." Then he raised that eyebrow at her and she sat up, knowing she was in trouble. "We could always make Cachiri."

"What the hell is Cachiri?"

"It's a Venezuelan alcoholic drink made from Ice Cream Beans."

"Ice Cream Beans?" She scoffed at him. "It's bad enough you made me eat that god awful pizza-"

"Hey you said you liked it."

"I said I didn't throw up; it was tomato sauce and whipped cream. Anyways, now you're making up fruits?"

"I swear Beckett, there is such a thing as an Ice Cream Bean." She still looked at him skeptically. "Here I'll show you." He then proceeded to walk towards her as he typed something on his iPhone. Once he reached her, he pushed the device in her face. "See."

And there it was – on an official website no less – an article describing Ice Cream Beans.

"Wow Castle you were-" And then she caught the excited glance in his eyes and caught herself "no wrong." She smirked as he visibly deflated and folded his arms, falling into the couch beside her.

"Is it so hard for you to just admit when I'm right?"

"Yes." She stated smugly.

"Can I at least have some compensation?" She scrunched her nose in a mockingly long thought before she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Is that enough?" She could tell that he was trying really hard not to burst with smiles of joy.

"It'll do."


	10. Jackfruit

**Well you all liked 'Grapes' so hopefully you'll like this. It was based on a true story. Well not the end part but the dialogue definitely.**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Jackfruit<strong>: Kate would never tell her boyfriend but when he was intently writing something, he would mutter random words as he typed. At first she had found it annoying but after awhile, it had sort of lulled her and it because one of her favorite things to listen to when they were simply just _being_ together.

Until one day while she was reading over some case notes, her legs resting on his lap, the laptop balancing on her knees, she was interrupted by Rick's mutterings.

"…handsome and stately… can grow to enormous sizes…contains a white, sticky…" She looked up at this. What was he up to? She tossed the folder on the coffee table and tried to pull her legs out so she could lean over but the laptop had a firm grip on her calves and she huffed in frustration.

"…female… swollen and wide… sweet and supple…" That was it.

"Rick what are you doing? You aren't trying to write a porno again are you?" He was startled out of his thoughts long enough that that Kate could remove her feet to lean over and see his screen.

"No I am not writing a porno." He scolding, pulling the laptop to his chest. "I am writing some research on exotic fruits." She finally managed to pull the document from his fingers and read the title.

"_Jackfruit_? What the hell is that?"

"It's an exotic fruit. Well it grows in some places in America but not a lot of places so it counts." His exasperated glance turned into a leer. "I love that your mind is in the gutter."

She rolled her eyes. "It must be your shameful influence on me."

"Shameful is it?" He reached over to nip her ear as she read the article, slowly losing focus. After five minutes of his assault on her left side, she had read the same word twenty-eight times. Careful to place the laptop on the ground, she turned on her hip and fell into his lips, throwing his back on the couch.

"I love exotic fruits."


	11. Kiwi

**I am too tired to write anything coherent today so this is what you get. Have fun!**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Kiwi<strong>: They had been lying in bed for hours doing nothing more than resting together, her elbows propped on his chest, her fingers tracing random circles there. The silence was suddenly broken by an odd request.

"Woo me Mister Castle." He lifted his head just enough to look at her before tilting his head to the side.

"Haven't we already finished with the wooing part?"

"Technically" she had that playful expression on her face "but I haven't been wooed in awhile." Rolling his eyes he moved to sit up but she didn't join him.

"I can't do it in this position."

"I thought you could do it in any position." Offering a mocking glare, he relaxed back against the pillow.

"Fine." And then he stared at her as though he were reaffirming every part of her body that he already knew.

"You, Katherine Beckett, are extraordinary. There is not a creature alive so beautiful as your smile. Your hair is of chocolate waves dancing across your shoulders; your lips are so full and sweet it were as though they were carved by the gods to kiss me alone. Your eyes are of kiwis they-"

"Hold up." He swore her heard a record scratching somewhere as the moment died. "My eyes are like _kiwis_? Of all the million things in this world that are green you pick kiwis? Why?" He took a breath before rolling his eyes at the silliness of their conversation.

"Well if you would let me finish." He shot at her, causing that mocking glare to change faces. "I would tell you that kiwis are a rare sight but those who have tasted it know of its sweet tangy flavor – a kind like no other. It is exotic yet homely and I see that through your eyes – a world contradicting perfections and unexpected beauty."

And she was speechless; but only for a moment.

"What is it with you and words?" He shrugged with a smile, knowing he had passed.

"She's my mistress."

"Do I need to get Ryan and Esposito to have a chat with you about being faithful to me?"

"They gave me that talk before I even asked you out. I know where my heart lies."

"Let me guess, with the kiwi?"

"You read me like a book detective."


	12. Lemon

**My day has been interesting. I woke up and I was so stoked because the Castle Photo Shoot was today and For Lovers Only comes out in Canada today so I told myself I would go to rehearsal and then rush home and be all happy. No. I get to rehearsal and I get sick and because I'm the lead, I had to go full out which made it worse. Then I get home and there is no Castle Photo Shoot - if you guys hear anything please let me know - and originally I couldn't find For Lovers Only but I found it and I have another 45 minutes of downloading before I get to be all giddy and such. No I have dress rehearsal for my show tomorrow so I need sleep but I also need this movie. Such a dilema. Anyways, the drink is from personal experience. So gross. Why people would make it and then try and sell it is beyond me. **

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Lemon:<strong> "Here try this." Kate was suddenly faced with a tall glass of something yellow and frothy as she sat reading one of his books on the couch.

"What is it?" She glanced at it with concern.

"It's a smoothie." She knew this game.

"What _kind_ of smoothie?" He was far too anxious for this to be a normal adventure.

"A fruit smoothie." It seemed plausible but she was still a little anxious. Knowing that this would take forever, she took a chance and placed the cup to her lips… immediately spitting out the substance.

"Is that _lemon_?"

"Lemon is a fruit." He insisted at her horrified look.

"Richard darling, we didn't let Kate move in so you could torture her." He turned to see his mother and daughter come in from a long overdue shopping trip – in their mind.

"No, mother," he walked over to kiss their cheeks "you let Kate move in because you told me to marry her three years ago and you thought that her living with us would help me pluck up the courage to do what I should have done back then." Kate looked up at him when she heard this and the entire room froze – including Rick. "What I mean is-"

"Yes." He looked to Kate.

"What was that?" He watched as she stood and slowly made her way over to the Castles all with different expressions: one was completely stunned and confused, another was joyously surprised and the other wore a relieved and sentimental smile.

"I said," she took a deep breath, trying to ignore his mother and daughter standing right beside him "if you ever pluck up the courage" she teased, playing with the lapels of his collared shirt "I will marry you Mr. Castle." The smile he offered was absolutely blinding. "On one condition;" it fell immediately "you _never_ even _think_ about making that god-awful drink again."

"Aww…" He whined even as she let go of him and headed towards the door.

"I'm walking out the door…" She warned.

"Knowing that she wasn't serious – mostly – he still rushed to grab her arm and spin her around.

"Alright; alright." He pulled her to his chest, lowering his head to meet her eyelevel. "I promise that, if you become my wife, I will never make that drink ever again."

"Thank you." She smiled pecking his lips, subconsciously remembering that there were others in the room.

"But I have loads of other things I can try out on you." He smirked excitedly as he headed towards the kitchen. Kate sighed and rolled her eyes as Martha patted her shoulder.

"You can only use that card once dear and you probably should have worded it better."

"Probably."

"Well there are other threats you can make; things you can withhold from him now." Both adults turned to the teen with shock.

"Alexis." Her soon-to-be-stepmother scolded.

"I was talking about visits to the precinct and stuff." She shrugged innocently.

"Uh huh." Her grandmother patted her head as she passed.

Being a part of this family was going to be interesting.


	13. Mango

**Thanks for the love guys. I am feeling better - especially after watching For Lovers Only. I was in stunned admiration of that woman all the way to reharsal today. Tomorrow my show goes up so I should really go to bed. Maybe after some Castle watching. Bye guys!**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Mango<strong>: "You haven't been having any dreams about mangos have you?" Kate looked up from her paperwork to stare at her partner who looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Why?" She was slightly worried and a lot confused.

"Well it's just that… mangos in your dream represent fertility." There was the eye roll. But she couldn't resist commenting.

"Huh, I figured you would make some comment about the Kama Sutra." She watched him gulp and smiled to herself. Two could play at that game.

"Why-why would I say something about… that?"

"Well isn't that a sexual position? _Sucking the Mango_?" She returned to her paper work, ignoring the dumb blinks and uncomfortable shifts in his seat that Castle was offering. He suddenly rose from his seat and headed towards the locker rooms. Should she tell him that the taps are reversed in the showers?

"Hey Castle."

"Yeah?" His voice was quieter to mask the two octaves it had jumped.

"In answer to your question, yes I have been dreaming of Mangos lately. I wonder what that means…"

She had never seen a man run faster in her life – and she had chased a lot of men – though chasing Castle was the most fun she'd ever had.


	14. Nectarine

**Super short and based on the fact that I couldn't think of anything for them. I promise tomorrow will be better. I'm just so tired from opening night - which went so well by the way.**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Nectarine<strong>: As they stood in the fruit section of the grocery store, Castle picked up an item and observed it carefully.

"I feel like there is something funny I can say about a nectarine but it's just not coming to me."

"Like _sucking the mango_?" She smirked from across the aisle.

"So not funny."

"It really was; but I think you may be right. There are a bunch of almost innuendos and such about nectarines but I can't name a single one." Castle just stared at her.

"I love you." He shook his head at her.

"What?"

"You have no idea how much I love that last statement you made. I can't believe how much I've rubbed off on you."

"Did you mean that in the dirty way?"

"Maybe…"

"Good."

He almost said 'I love you' again but stopped himself as he barely caught a flying cucumber.

"Have fun." And then she was gone.


	15. Orange

**I thought myself a genius when I wrote this so let's see what you guys think. Happy Friday. Let the countdown to C-Day (September 19th) continue!**

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Orange<strong>: "Huh." Kate looked up at her husband – she never realized just how often he interrupted her, causing her to look up – expectantly.

"What?"

"You said your grandparents were both red-heads."

"Yes…" Where was he going with this? She was definitely not in the mood for one of his childish little theories.

"So there is a chance that our child could be a red-head seeing as both sides of our family are dominated by Gingers."

"Do you have a problem with that?" She would have stood to challenge him but the added weight in her mid-section made it impossible so she settled on glaring at him. "Would it be so terrible if our child had red hair?"

"No actually, it's just-"

"So you _want_ our child to have red hair?" She burst, barely moving from the living room couch. "Well if you're _so_ desperate to have ginger-haired children, why don't I just start eating nothing but oranges. Would that make you happy?"

He couldn't help it. I tried for a nearly a minute to hold on but he soon burst into raging fits of laughter that shook his whole body. She would have thought it were very cute – and even a little sexy (though what wasn't at this point) – had it not been directed at her.

"What? What is so funny?"

"I'm sorry dear." He calmed enough to wipe a tear from his eye "it's just that you are so funny when you are hormonal and irrational." The glare turned to ice and he instantly sobered.

"I'm sleeping on the couch tonight aren't I?"

"You bet your sweet little ass it is." He almost commented but he was picking up quickly that it wasn't always appropriate to say what's on your mind.

Could it be that the boy was _finally_ learning?


	16. Pear

**I actually kind of like this chapter and it is a bit longer than all of the previous chapters but now that we're over the half way mark I've got to step up my game quite a bit so please cheer me on. **

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Pear<strong>: It was the perfect afternoon. Beckett had the day off for the first time in what seemed like forever and she had actually agreed to spend the day with her partner instead of her boyfriend – a fact that both amused and bewildered Castle. So there they were, walking just close enough together through a secluded area of Central Park while the sun grazed every surface and the wind blew gently across their faces.

He could not have written a more romantic scene than watching the woman he secretly loved walk beside him as her sun dress literally billowed to the side furthering his illusion that she was, in fact, a goddess sent to earth to tempt him. It was the only logical explanation. Sighing to himself and his daydream, he barely noticed as Beckett stopped to watch him as he watched her and smiled.

"You're drooling Castle." She smirked at him, the sound of her voice bringing him out of his revere with a jolt.

"Sorry." He muttered, picking up the walking pace to hide his blush. Not for the first time lately, Beckett thought he was so adorable and finally decided that it was time to let him know just that. Racing to catch up with him, she grabbed his hand – much to his surprise – gave it a slight squeeze and led him to a nearby tree. Slinking down to lean against the three with her legs stretched out in front of her, she waited until he eyed her suspiciously and finally took a similar position beside her before speaking.

"Do they have pear trees in New York?"

"I have no idea; why?" He shook his head at the randomness of the question.

"My dad proposed to my mom underneath a pear tree when they were in Italy." Then he saw that reminiscing smile on her face and knew he was even more blessed to be able to see a bit of Kate today rather than just Beckett. "She said it was the most romantic thing she had even experienced." When there was a lull in her story, he spoke quietly.

"So you're hoping that Josh will propose to you underneath a pear tree?" He had meant it as a joke but they both knew it wasn't.

"No." She shook her head, barely rolling her eyes. "No when someone does propose to me, I don't want it to be that kind of romantic. I want it to be romantic because it means something to both of us." She couldn't help it. She was looking right at him; speaking to his soul when it suddenly dawned on her that the only person she would ever say yes to would be him.

The thought took her breath away.

"I'll keep that in mind…" The strength of his adoring gaze was overwhelming but died in an instant "to tell Josh next time I see him." She couldn't take it anymore.

"Castle, Rick…" She shook her head after a moment of silence. "God why is this so hard to say?"

"What?" His voice was low, not wanting to break the feeling that something big was going to happen. The way she bit her lip and furrowed her brow as her eyes squeezed tight told him not to say another word until she was ready. So he waited; but only for a moment before he was forced to wrap his arms around her waist to keep their balance as she flung herself onto him capturing his lips in hers. Not one to deny Beckett anything, he responded generously in kind until the need for air was too great.

"Kate," he swallowed, catching his breath "you don't want to do this."

"Why not?" She was still attached to him and she had no intention of moving.

"Josh." He just knew that that one name would break the mood.

"Josh and I broke up three weeks ago." She smiled, her lips planting soft kisses on his jaw as he processed the whole thing. Once realization kicked him in the rear end he grabbed her shoulders to pull her back up to eye level.

"And you're just telling me now?"

"Well I was waiting to find our pear tree."


	17. Quince

**Sorry for the late update, I've been at the theatre all day and I am so tired. **

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Quince<strong>: It was their first Hallowe'en together and although she wouldn't admit it, she was a little excited to dress up and hang out with her friends knowing that afterwards she and her boyfriend got to play dress up on a whole different level. She couldn't figure out how but somehow Castle had convinced her to dress up as a Greek Goddess and he joined her as a God. They _did_ look really good together but she had never been one for dressing up as a couple but she was willing to go with it. She was just adjusting her hair in curls when she felt a tap on her bare shoulder. Turning, she saw him present his palm to her; resting in it was what appeared to be a golden apple. Not a golden delicious – a real golden apple.

"What's this?" She pulled her curls over her shoulder to let them tumble in waves that accentuated her breasts. He was admittedly a little distracted – but only for a moment.

"This is a Quince. It is supposedly the original golden apple of the Greek Gods. I thought it would be appropriate." She leisurely took the apple from him to examine amusedly.

"Wasn't this the thing that caused the Trojan War?" He stared at her with a sort of fascination.

"I love that you are so well read." He kissed the knuckle that held the apple and pulled her closer to him.

"Well we have to have _something_ to talk about in bed." She mused, tilting her head to almost meet his lips.

"Not that we do much talking in bed."

"Of course." She smiled, millimeters from his mouth.

"Ew." Both adults turned to see a mortified Alexis – dressed as a female pirate – standing in the doorway of their bedroom. For the first time since their exchange began, Kate became aware of where her hands were and where Rick's hands were. Pulling apart with a blush, she shoved the apple into his chest.

"Maybe this should wait until later?"

"Definitely."


	18. Raspberry

**I know some of you were expecting raisins but I wanted to be different. I just didn't expect to be _this_ different...**

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Raspberry<strong>: They were lying in the aftermath of one of their greatest lovemaking sessions ever. Unfortunately, this was common practice for a weekday evening and neither were willing to admit it, but they were getting a little bored of mind blowing sex. It was routine.

That's when she felt his fingers ghost over her ribs and she hummed in response to his request for dialogue.

"Have you ever wondered why something is called something?"

"Was that rhetorical?" She rolled every to meet his eyes.

"No I'm serious. Like why is a raspberry called a raspberry? And why are there two kinds of raspberries?"

"_Two_ kinds? What are you talking about?"

"Well there's the raspberry fruit and then there's this:" he then proceeded to blow a raspberry on her neck, causing her to shiver and squeal in surprise.

"Rick!" She tried to pull out of his grasp but his hold on her waist – the one she _just _noticed – was too tight. "Let me go."

"Not until we liven up our sex life." She paused completely.

"How did you-"

"Because I was thinking the same thing." She shook her head. Together for three months and they were already reading each other's minds.

"Nothing extreme." She warned.

"Of course not; just something…" He searched for the word but she found it first.

"New."

"Like raspberries?" He knew she would say 'no' so he mostly said it to see _how_ she would say it.

"Only if I start it." She grinned before dipping her head to his chest and blowing a wet raspberry right over his heart.


	19. Star Fruit

**I am tired and fighting with my mom while I'm trying to type so I'm not sure how well this'll turn out but review because you love me please.**

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Star Fruit<strong>: "Why don't star fruits actually look like stars?" Kate looked up from her paperwork. This question had been bothering her for several minutes and she felt as though it needed to be asked.

"What do you mean?" Rick responded, not taking his eyes off of his iPhone. "Star fruits look just like stars."

"No they don't." She leaned on her elbow to look at her partner properly. "They have five corners but that's the only similarity."

Rick huffed as he rolled his eyes to look at her in an annoyed manner. "Why are you asking me this? Don't you have real work to do?" She seemed almost nervous.

"No." She stuttered. "I'm all done."

"Then why…" It finally clicked.

"You don't want to go home."

"No-"

"Yes; you're afraid to go home because you've gotten used to sleeping at my loft."

"Okay _maybe_ your bed is a little softer than mine but that's it." She rose from her desk under the pretence of making herself another cup of coffee.

"It's more than that." He trailed after her, finally gaining the upper hand. "You _like_ sleeping with me."

"No I-"

"You want to kiss me, you want to love me, you want to marry me-" His sing-song teasing was cut off by a firm hand against the back of his neck and a sweet kiss to his lips. It didn't last long but it was enough to shut him up.

"Okay so _maybe_ I like sleeping with you a little."

"Good," he pecked her smiling lips "me too. And for the record, star fruits are just like stars, you just have to look at them from a certain angle."


	20. Tangerine

**C.J.E. Is so tired today. I was crashing during rehearsals and then the show was just so draining so I think I'm to go and have a nap as soon as I finish writing this. Goodnight everyone!**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Tangerine<strong>: "Have you ever wondered what a funny word 'Tangerine' is?" She didn't even bother to look up this time. It seemed like lately, all he did was ask her questions – well, more than usual – and she wasn't sick of it so much as… used to it.

"No Castle, I have never wondered what a funny word 'Tangerine' is."

"I mean come on, it's basically an orange – just call it an orange – why make things complicated by using such a misleading name?" Alright; admittedly that last one caught her attention.

"How is Tangerine a misleading name?"

"It seems like they're going to say 'tango' but at the last minute they change their mind. It's so misleading." And there was the part where she regretted asking. Turning back to her paperwork with a standard eye roll that was done purely from muscle memory, she didn't notice him stand from his chair until he was looking over her with his hand presented to her face.

"Care to dance detective?" Looking up with nothing but confusion and an unimpressed head shake, she took his hand anyways.

"Let me guess: the tango?"

He pulled her flush against the side of his body – which she accepted with a slight squeak. "You read my mind detective."

"One thing." she smiled at his reaction as she slowly slid her knee up his thigh to rest on his hip.

"Anything." He whispered, not finding the energy to use words when he was threatening to get her band from the precinct.

"Not at the office." She scolded into his ear. "This is a dance for home."


	21. Uglifruit

**Well folks, we are in the last leg of the race here. It's getting a little tougher but we'll make it through together. This also means that next week, I'll be posting new chapters of my multi-capter fics so be excited. Yay!**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Uglifruit<strong>: "You're kidding me. It's real?" Kate stared at the report from the Medical Examiner before her and shook her head. "I thought he was joking."

"Well _he_ wasn't." Castle appeared behind her in the ME's office with that smug look on his face. "Uglifruit is real." Rolling her eyes, she looked to her friend for confirmation.

"'Fraid so sweetie." Lanie shrugged. "Your boy was right; the victim was bludgeoned to death with an Uglifruit."

"Oh there are so many jokes I could be making right now." He rubbed his hands together, getting ready for Kate to scold him.

"But you aren't going to make them are you?" Oh right, he slumped slightly at her authoritative glance; that.

"No." He conceded.

"Good boy." Her beaming smile almost made him feel better.

"Geez, the one thing you can take away from me and you hold it against me."

"Well, be a good boy and I'll give it to you in the car." His eyes grew comically wide.

"You would actually do it at work?"

"Well it's as good a time as any – provided you behave yourself." He raised his arms in defeat.

"Behaving myself." He announced before the silence overtook them and Kate turned to her friend.

"Alright Lanie is-"

"How long has this been going on?" Kate looked at Castle and shrugged.

"What has it been; a month?"

"A month of torture." He managed to slip out before she used her glare to shut him up.

"You survived." This time he only shrugged his head in response.

"A whole month and you didn't tell me?" Lanie was fuming now. "Girl, what's up with that?"

"I just didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"You and Castle are screwing like bunnies and you don't think it's a big deal?" Castle found a clean glass of water and sipped some of it for the sole purpose of doing a spit take.

"Since when were we sleeping together?" He asked after wiping his mouth.

"I must have missed that memo." Kate shook her head.

"You _just_ told me you had been sleeping together for a month." She almost laughed; almost.

"No Lanie, I've been holding Rick's iPhone hostage for a month. That's all." Breathing normally by the time the pair were turning to leave, Lanie smiled.

"Why do you have his cell phone anyways?" Kate turned to look over her shoulder and smiled.

"Because he wouldn't stop talking about our sex life." Lanie didn't even bother to drink the water; she just dumped it all over the floor.


	22. Vanilla

**Hey guys! I really have nothing to say; happy Friday! 58 Days until C-Day! **

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Vanilla<strong>: "It is _not_ a fruit." Castle insisted as prepared her coffee. "Coffee is not a fruit;" he handed the mug to her pointedly "vanilla is not a fruit."

"Coffee _Beans_ are a fruit." Beckett took a sip and hummed at the warmth – and a little gloating – that ran through her. "Vanilla Beans are a fruit."

"You're wrong." That sing-song voice of his always annoyed her; so she stopped in her tracks.

"I'm right and you know why I'm right?" He shook his head "Because I'm Kate Beckett and I'm _always_ right." He scoffed, mostly to get a rise out of her but he was still under the assumption that he was right.

"Hey Esposito can you look something up for me?" The pair turned to the Hispanic expectantly as he opened a 'Google' search.

"Go."

"Type: Vanilla Bean and tell me what it says." They waited as he typed away and then clicked on the first page that came up.

"The Vanilla Bean is a fruit grown-"

"Ha!" She did a mental fist pump rather than stoop to Castle's level. "I told you." She pointed at Castle while their friend looked on in confused amusement. "Who was right?"

"You were." He grumbled.

"And why is that?"

"Because you're Kate Beckett."

"And…" She turned her ear up to him mockingly.

"Kate Beckett is always right." She smirked, patting his cheek.

"Good boy." 


	23. Watermelon

**If any of you are on Ladies of Elegance - which I doubt you are but a girl can dream - Happy Birthday to Hasely Estate for being open to girls from all over the world for 4 years. Here's to many more - with hopefully me at the helm. **

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Watermelon<strong>: "I'm just saying-"

"No, you cannot _just say_ that to your wife. God; were you this bad with Meredith?" The mention of his ex-wife brought a little cringe through his body but he let it pass in favor of defending his honor.

"I don't see how I said anything wrong." He insisted in a slightly higher tone.

"You just told your pregnant wife that her boobs were like watermelons. How can you not see how wrong that was?"

"It's a compliment."

"Oh my god." She blinked in annoyed disbelief before pulling him down to her eyelevel and smacking him very hard upside the head. "No. From now on you do not make comments about my boobs _ever_ again. Do you understand me?"

"Not even when we're-"

"No. Never." He thought with his head – well, the pain in his head – for once and agreed to never talk about her boobs again.

That is, until a week later when he was cutting up some watermelon for an afternoon picnic and his pregnant wife began crying because he was cutting up her metaphorical boobs because he didn't want her anymore.

Of course he rectified that theory – causing them to be late for the picnic – but he was still careful never to put 'watermelon' and 'Kate's breasts' in the same sentence.

Ever again.


	24. Xigua

**I am so proud of myself for even coming up with a story for this. I discovered this morning that this is not in fact an English fruit - it's Chinese. I'm going to use it anyways. Also, I apologize for some of the phrases in this story. My command of langauges is very poor and so if you can manage to understand these phrases without using a translator, I will give you a virtual cookie. Good luck. **

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Xigua<strong>: Flirting with Castle after the sexual tension had been broken proved to be even more fun. It was like they had turned it into a game to see who could come up with a sexual innuendo first… everywhere they went. Usually he won because he had more practice with this stuff but everyone once in a while, Beckett would get the upper hand and revenge would definitely taste very good.

However, they would often happen upon a place where there was so much opportunity that no one could name a single innuendo and so they were silent until someone broke with a very cheesy line.

Currently, they were shopping for fruit and Beckett was so desperate to say _something_ that she almost asked him to squeeze her melons to test for firmness. It was ridiculous. She had gotten so far as to pick up two cantaloupes when she suddenly felt his warm breath down her throat.

"Il tuo prugne sono mature." She turned to look at him, having translated his sentence in her head.

"Oh you're funny." She muttered, turning to wrap her arms around his neck. "YA hochu szhat' vash banan."

He gulped. "I don't know what you said but that is so hot."

"Oh yeah." She bit her lip and was about to respond with a game winning phrase when he beat her to it.

"Wǒ ài nǐ de xīguā."

"You love my _what_?" She hadn't meant to say it out loud but her Chinese was a little rusty and she feared he might have offended her. Well, she wondered if _he_ feared he may have offended her. It was complicated.

"Watermelons, honey; watermelons." She visibly sighed.

"Alright, you can live." She hadn't really wanted to hurt him. "Now I can punish you _my_ way for scaring me like that." She then proceeded to grab the collar of his shirt and drag him into the unisex washroom.

"Work, work, work." He muttered to the poor old Chinese lady who had been watching them the entire time.


	25. Yam

**I hang my head in shame at how poorly this was written. I am sorry. I am even more sorry that... tomorrow is the last day. It was a fun ride and I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Yam<strong>: "Oh isn't it precious?" Kate was tearing up at sonogram picture of her child. "That's our baby, Rick."

Rick, to his credit, admired the photo with love, knowing that something so small could have such a big influence on their lives. "It looks like a yam."

She gaped at her husband with disgust. "How dare you compare our child to a fruit?"

"A yam isn't a fruit."

"It is so."

"Is not."

"Kate Beckett-Castle what the hell do you think you're doing?" The pair turned to see Lanie walking into the doctor's office with an accusing look – hands on her hips and all.

"Lanie we were just-"

"Mrs. Castle here is a prescription for the prenatal vitamins the doctor recommended." Never in her life had Kate cursed a woman's timing more than that moment.

"Thank you." She muttered, pocketing the piece of paper and avoiding her friend's gaze.

"_Prenatal_?" She nearly shouted. "As in_ pregnant_? You're _Pregnant_?" Kate had to look to her husband for the answer because she couldn't stop tearing up at the thought of being a mother.

"Hey Lanie," Castle suddenly leered "what are you doing here?" The Hispanic woman's face dropped.

"Uh…well…I…"

"You know Chica, this sonogram photo looks a bit like a yam." Praise Esposito for having the best timing in the world. Wait…

"You're pregnant too?" The two women shouted simultaneously, causing their men and the rest of the office to jump several feet in the air.

"You think it looks like a yam too?" Rick shouted in excitement. "I told you I wasn't the only one Kate." Ignoring her husband's remark, Kate shook her head.

"You thought you could get away with it couldn't you?"

"So did you?"

"Dude…" Both men stared wide-eyed at each other as realization sank in "the next nine months are going to be hell."


	26. Zizyphus Mauritiana

**Well here we go guys, the last letter of the alphabet. I am very sorry to see this go but guess what, I'm going to be updating my other stories soon so I won't be leaving your forever; this story will just end. Thank you to those who have followed me since the beginning - you have no idea how much your reviews have meant to me - especially since this is my first story to break 100 reviews. I'll be here either tomorrow or the next day with an update from one of my stories so look out for that. I guess that's all I have left. Bye guys!**

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p><strong>Zizyphus Mauritiana<strong>: "This place doesn't look like much." Kate wrinkled her nose, observing the cramped, hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The entire place smelt like fried chicken and yet it was supposed to be the most amazing Indian restaurant in all of New York – according to her partner, anyways. As they took the only booth in the corner _right_ next to the kitchen, she observed Rick's features with curiosity. How could he be so excited about such a crappy place?

"Trust me, Beckett" he spoke, waving a waiter down "this place is amazing." Once the waiter arrived, a stout Indian man dressed in traditional clothing, Rick stood to whisper something in his ear and the man returned his smile.

"Right away Mr. Castle." The fact that the waiter knew his name gave her pause – and, unadmittedlly, a twinge of hurt. How many times had he come here; and who had he brought?

"What did you just say to him?" She tried to tease, hoping to lighten the mood, but Rick only smirked, bringing that air of worry back again.

"You'll see."

For a long time, it seemed like there was nothing to talk about. This wasn't a date; it was an outing between shifts working a double homicide and it was an unspoken rule that you don't talk about work once you leave the precinct. So, since this wasn't a date, there really wasn't much to talk about. They sat in silence, staring anywhere but at each other until Rick's words broke the silence.

"I used to come here when I needed to be alone." She said nothing, but waited for him to continue. "After my divorce with Meredith, I became a full-time single parent while trying to be a celebrity while trying to find a mother for Alexis and it just became too much. So sometimes, when Alexis was at school, and I wasn't scheduled to do some book thing, I would walk around the streets, just thinking. One night I saw this older man being mugged by some kid and I intervened; chased down the kid and helped the old man to the hospital. He was in the hospital for a week because of his injuries and I went to see him every single day. Once he was released, he told me that he owned this little Indian restaurant just down the street and that if I ever came, I would be guaranteed a hot meal and good company from him and his staff. Ever since then, I make a habit of coming here at least once a month but this is the first time I've ever brought anyone along." Kate was speechless; she had not expected that story at all. She suddenly grew a new appreciation for the man and the restaurant. Still, she had to say _something_.

"You are an idiot." Rick blinked. "Running after a mugger? At your age?" Rick playfully stuck his tongue out and she rolled her eyes in response.

"I'll have you know, I was in my twenties at the time, and I was _very_ physically fit." She would take it to her grave, but that shiver that ran down her spine was not from the chill.

"I've no doubt. The amount of sleeping around you must have done…" She shook her head, hoping he understood that she was only teasing but either Rick wasn't reading her, or he wasn't willing to play along.

"Did it ever occur to you that I was just looking for the one?"

"And did it ever occur to you that you'll never find _the one_ at a bar?"

"Well who says? I met you at a bar didn't I?" Both pairs of eyes went comically wide when they realized what he had said. Thankfully, the thick tension was cut by the waiter presenting the pair with a tiny bowl of yellow berries, clearing his throat as he set it between them.

"Zizyphus Mauritiana." He announced before walking away with a slight smile. Kate turned her attentions to the fruit which she eyed suspiciously.

"What are these?" She refused to look up at him.

She watched as he plucked a berry between his fingers and held it just above her lips. "Open." He commanded mysteriously but she refused. "Trust me." Those damn words that made her submissive every time. Slowly opening her mouth, she closed her eyes, hoping her taste buds wouldn't pay for it. Letting the berry fall on her tongue and taking the time to chew it, she suddenly opened her eyes in surprise.

"This is amazing;" she exclaimed "what is it?"

"Zizyphus Mauritiana."

"Bless you." It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"It's an ancient Indian berry; it's flown in from India specifically for this restaurant." She swallowed before smiling up at him.

"Well I am sorry for doubting you."

"It just goes to show you that good things come in the most unusual of packages." Neither were looking at the berries anymore.

"Yes they do."


	27. Bonus Chapter!

**Alright guys, this really is the last one. Before you get all confused; no, there hasn't been a letter added to the alphabet. I just love you guys so much I am offering a bonus chapter. However, after this we are done for good so...**

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**Disclaimer: I Does Not Own Castle. **

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><p>"Do you know when I first realized I was in love with you?"<p>

"**Zizyphus Mauritiana**."

"Right around then."

"I bet you fell out of love with me when I started comparing our baby to a **_yam_**."

"Whenever I felt like hating you, I just remembered that **Xigua** incident with the old lady."

"Good times… ow; why did you hit me?"

"Because you reminded me of the **watermelons**."

"Less good times."

"Damn right. Speaking of right-"

"Hey I learnt my lessons after the **vanilla** incident; Kate Beckett is always right."

"Castle."

"What?"

"No, it's Kate Beckett-Castle."

"You kept it? Even after the whole **uglifruit** thing?"

"Why would that affect anything?"

"I thought Lanie made you promise not to do anything with me until you consulted her."

"Well I didn't tell her about the **tangerine** stunt you pulled at work and she's survived…"

"Now _those_ were good times."

"Indeed. Like the **starfuit**?"

"You were so ridiculous."

"If I was ridiculous then what were the **raspberries**?"

"Hey, it taught you how to have fun didn't it?"

"No, the **quince** taught me how to have fun."

"You know what my favorite memory of you is?"

"What?"

"The **pear** tree."

"Do you know what _my_ favorite memory of me is?"

"What?"

"**Oranges**."

"Oh my god that was so funny. I'm sorry but it was."

"Oh looking back at it now, it was hilarious but at the time, I was so pissed at you."

"I know. We've had fun."

"We have, haven't we?"

"Like the **nectarine**?"

"Or the **mango**."

"So not funny."

"It really was. Oh dear lord."

"What?"

"You aren't going to make me one of those **lemon** smoothies anymore are you?"

"I promised I wouldn't. Huh."

"Now what?"

"Your eyes really _are_ like **kiwis**."

"And I still don't see how that is the first thing that comes to mind."

"I have an odd mind."

"I'll say."

"Hey you do too."

"How?"

"The **jackfruit**?"

"That was…"

"Your dirty little mind at work?"

"I guess you're right."

"Ha! That is the second time you've admitted I was right."

"When was the first?"

"The **ice cream beans**."

"Oh right; I still don't believe you."

"Like you didn't believe me about those **huckleberry** muffins?"

"I still say _Abraço'_s pastries are better."

"Yes they are; though I think Ryan and Esposito have finally figured out our secret place when we escape the precinct."

"Oh those poor boys have figured out way too much about us."

"They told you about the **grape** incident?"

"They told _you_?"

"Well of course they told me; I'm their friend."

"You're also a woman – and their boss."

"So?"

"So; you're like their poisoned **fruit cup**. So tempting and yet so deadly."

"No save."

"Hey, I led "Hey, I led _you_ out of the **elderberry** bush didn't I?"

"Yes you did; and I am eternally grateful."

"And you _did_ ask me to go out first, so we're even."

"Actually, I asked if you would like some **dates **. The going out part was all you."

"It's not like you objected."

"Well who am I to say 'no' to the girl who smells like **cherries**?"

"Still creepy by the way."

"Noted. And for the record, you were the first person to say 'I like you'."

"Oh right, the **banana** thing."

"I can't believe that story isn't dirty at all."

"No; but the **apple** story is."

"God I love you."

"I love you too."

The room was silent – mostly stunned – for a long moment before the preacher regained his composure.

"What a way to renew your vows."

"Well they've never been one to do things the traditional way." Lanie pointed out from beside them.

"I can tell."

The couple were still lost in each other's eyes but Lanie spoke anyways.

"Happy 25th Anniversary guys."


End file.
